Campeonato Brasileiro Série A football clubs Flamengo and Fluminense have agreed a further extension to their management contract for Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracanã stadium.
The two teams have extended the deal with the Rio de Janeiro State Government, owner of the venue, for a further 180 days through to April 30 next year, according to GloboEsporte.com.
In April 2019, Flamengo and Fluminense agreed a six-month deal to manage the Maracanã Complex, which includes the stadium and the Maracanãzinho arena. The deal came after the Rio government announced that it would regain control of the 78,000-seat stadium following the annulment of a contract with its private administrators.
The government stated at the time that it was owed around BRL38m (£5.1m/€5.7m/$6.7m) by Maracanã SA, the group that used to run the stadium. This group was led by the Odebrecht conglomerate and operated the stadium from 2017 after securing a 35-year contract.
Flamengo and Fluminense had further extended their contract through to this month and the new agreement is designed to grant the Rio government additional time as it continues to draw up a tender to secure an operator under another 35-year deal.
Flamengo and Fluminense both play their games at the Maracanã, which underwent substantial redevelopment to serve as the centrepiece of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The stadium also hosted matches during Rio’s staging of the Olympic Games in 2016, while it will stage the final of the rescheduled Copa America national team football tournament next summer.
Image: Brazilian Government/CC BY 3.0 BR/Edited for size
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